Chapter 27: I Can’t Hold Back Today

Now that she had enjoyed everything, it was time for payment.

Si-woo, wearing his well-practiced customer-service smile, handed over the receipt.

Baek Eun-seol stared at it, her expression one of utter confusion.

But only for a moment.

As reality sank in, she let out a strangled noise—finally remembering where she was.

“Wait… this is a host bar, isn’t it?!”

“Where else did you think you were?”

Yes, this was a host bar.

A place where women’s fantasies were fulfilled, where delusions became reality.

A place she had never once set foot in before today.

And yet—.

She had just spent the night with a man here.

‘But still… isn’t 10 million won a bit too much?’

She knew little about host bars, but this price felt insane.

Baek Eun-seol looked at Si-woo properly for the first time.

And at that moment, she understood.

It wasn’t unreasonable at all.

To share a night with a man this attractive—10 million won was a bargain.

“No, but still…!!”

“‘But still’ isn’t a valid excuse, dear customer.”

Creak.

The door, which had been firmly shut, suddenly opened.

Baek Eun-seol instinctively turned toward the voice that followed.

And froze.

It was a voice she could never forget.

A voice that belonged to someone just like her.

A woman who had skipped two years at the Hunter Academy.

A woman who had been assigned as her partner for three years, clearing gates side by side under the Academy’s recommendation.

“…Yoo Seo-ha?”

“That’s me.”

Seo-ha’s lips curled into an easy smile.

“I’d normally overlook a customer’s behavior, but you, of all people, should know better than to cause trouble.”

Her voice was light, but her words carried weight.

Baek Eun-seol couldn’t hide her shock.

Yoo Seo-ha, who had vanished after suddenly declaring she was quitting as a Hunter.

Was here.

Acting as if she owned this host bar.

“Yeah, you’re not the first to react like that.”

Seo-ha sighed, as if this was nothing new.

She approached the bed with a faint smile, then turned to Si-woo—who had been waiting silently.

“Forget the payment. I’ll cover it as a bonus for your effort.”

Then, she gave her next order.

“Go find Kitsunezawa. She’s requested you again today.”

“…Understood.”

With that single sentence, Si-woo’s mask fell away.

The moment he realized he wasn’t dealing with just any customer but a personal acquaintance of the Madam, he stopped acting.

His practiced, welcoming expression disappeared in an instant.

His eyes—once filled with polite charm—dimmed, empty and hollow.

Baek Eun-seol shuddered.

She had seen people wear masks before—many times.

People who put on a front while working, only to drop it the moment they thought no one was watching.

That wasn’t what startled her.

It was what lay beneath.

“…!!”

The deep hatred and emptiness lurking in his gaze.

She recognized it too well.

It was the exact expression she once had.

Back when she had contemplated choosing death over life.

“I’ll be going, Madam.”

“Mm. Just entertain her as usual and come back.”

His voice was completely devoid of emotion.

Without hesitation, Si-woo turned and disappeared through the door.

The moment the symbol of yang energy left the room, the frost began to creep back into Baek Eun-seol’s body.

Yet, surprisingly.

The cold didn’t spread as quickly as usual.

Maybe because he had been by her side for so long—hours, even.

Still, that wasn’t what occupied her thoughts right now.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the expression Si-woo had worn as he left.

“That boy… His face is no joke. What’s going on with him?”

“It’s still happening. Right now.”

Yoo Seo-ha sighed, watching the door Si-woo had just exited with a rare look of sympathy.

But Si-woo’s problem wasn’t something she could fix alone.

Eliminating a few pests was easy. But as long as the root cause remained, the problem would never truly go away.

That was precisely why Yoo Seo-ha had brought Baek Eun-seol to this room.

“Your engraving’s side effect… it’s been resolved, hasn’t it?”

“…Yeah.”

Anyone could tell just from how she reacted.

Her face flushed red as she recalled the events from earlier.

Yoo Seo-ha clicked her tongue at the sight, then casually handed over a client registry.

Baek Eun-seol’s eyes instinctively landed on the very first page.

A section reserved for VIPs.

A single name occupied that space.

A young man with ash-gray hair.

The very same person who had just been lying beside her moments ago.

She repeated his name in her mind, determined never to forget it.

“…Kang Si-woo.”

“He just turned 20 this year. And he’s an aspiring Hunter.”

“…An aspiring Hunter?”

“Yeah. You already know why he’s working in a place like this, don’t you?”

Of course, she did.

Baek Eun-seol had once fought desperately for the top spot at the Academy—because she simply couldn’t afford the tuition otherwise.

“You must’ve felt it earlier, too. There aren’t many places where a good-looking guy can make money like this.”

The job had a short lifespan, and it was brutal—both mentally and physically.

But if someone needed fast money, there was nothing else quite like it.

As long as they had the right face, personality, and mental endurance.

“And you noticed something else too, didn’t you?”

Baek Eun-seol didn’t even need to ask what she meant.

“Allure. A pretty high-rank engraving, too.”

She had felt it the moment his yang energy flowed into her.

That sensation—of losing herself.

His breath, his gaze.

Every little thing about him had seemed irresistible.

That was the power of Allure.

“I know I’m in no position to ask, but… help him out a little, will you?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Should I spell it out? Si-woo is suffering from a disease just as awful as yours.”

Yoo Seo-ha had thought she understood Si-woo’s power when she brought him into the host bar.

But she had never imagined how far these crazed women would go.

How completely they would break him.

Letting out a deep sigh, Yoo Seo-ha pleaded.

“I hate to ask, but please… help him.”

Because she **couldn’t bear to watch him be destroyed any further.

“Eun-seol noona?”

“…Huh?”

“Why are you just staring at me? Is something wrong?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Baek Eun-seol found herself looking at Si-woo.

His face.

Wearing the same expression as always, filled with genuine concern for her.

A clear, sincere emotion shining through his eyes.

Baek Eun-seol let out a soft laugh.

“It’s nothing. I just started remembering the past.”

That’s right.

This was all in the past.

She could remember it, but she wouldn’t regret it.

There was no time for regret.

She barely had enough time to enjoy the present.

One second longer.

One second more.

To engrave the face of the one she loved into her memory.

“So, in the end, there’s only one solution, right?”

“Yeah. He needs to have an engraving related to yin energy directly inscribed on his body.”

“…It’s not like my engraving came with an instruction manual, so I can’t say for sure.”

“Then we’ll just have to try.”

At Si-woo’s words, Baek Eun-seol nodded.

She looked at him—the man who had changed so completely in just half a year.

“So, if we need an engraving related to yin energy, an ice-type engraving book would be best, right?”

“Well, if an engraving that turns me into a woman works, I suppose that’s an option too.”

“If we go that far, I think my man’s dignity would be completely shattered, so I’ll pass.”

“Huhu, I figured.”

With an I knew it expression, Baek Eun-seol extended her hand into the air.

The space split apart.

She reached into the dark subspace, as if she had been waiting for this exact moment, and pulled out a book.

A book engraved with silver etchings.

Filled with indecipherable text and overflowing with mana, it was something Si-woo recognized immediately.

“It’s an engraving book related to yin energy.”

It was something she had acquired long ago for research.

But after meeting Si-woo, she had no longer needed it and had simply left it in her subspace.

Now, with a small smile, Baek Eun-seol spoke.

“I knew a day like this would come, so I never sold it.”

Just as she had needed Si-woo, she believed there would come a time when Si-woo would need this engraving book.

And in response to that trust, Si-woo naturally answered—

“Noona…”

“I know. If I just hand this to you, you’ll refuse, right?”

She had already predicted this.

Even back at the café, when he had turned down her gift, she knew.

Si-woo had always been reluctant to accept presents.

Because far too many women had tried to force all sorts of strange gifts on him under the pretense of offerings.

Receiving gifts without reason had long since become something he avoided.

“So, I prepared a special quest just for you.”

If he needed a reason, then she would simply create one.

Baek Eun-seol put away the engraving book and pulled out a new document from her subspace.

Si-woo narrowed his eyes.

“What’s that?”

“Gate ownership certificates. Three in total—F-rank to D-rank.”

At the mention of a quest, Si-woo immediately understood what she was doing.

He nodded.

“So the quest is gate clearing, and the quest reward is the engraving book?”

“I know it’s just an excuse. But if I don’t even give you this much of a justification, you’ll refuse my gift no matter what.”

Si-woo couldn’t argue with that.

Because she was completely right.

Then, Baek Eun-seol’s gaze softened slightly.

“Tell me, Si-woo… if you disappeared, who do you think would suffer the most?”

She nestled into Si-woo’s embrace.

Just this much—just a little bit of selfishness—should be okay.

That was how Baek Eun-seol justified it to herself as she burrowed deeper into his chest.

“Haa…”

Her once-cold breath quickly warmed.

Unlike her, who had long since hit a plateau, Si-woo’s engraving was still growing—right now, in real time.

The warmth she had once found comforting had grown into something hot—almost scorching.

But even so, Baek Eun-seol pressed closer, sinking deeper into his warmth.

“I know this is a burden to you… but really, Si-woo, I don’t think I can live without you.”

“…I know.”

“So please… You don’t have to accept my gift. You don’t have to accept my love.”

Just one thing.

“Please… just don’t die.”

Si-woo answered simply, calmly.

“Okay.”

With that, Baek Eun-seol lifted her gaze.

She had tried to hold back.

Just for today, she hadn’t wanted to weigh him down.

“Si-woo… I really can’t—today, I just—”

“Noona, it’s okay.”

Just those few words.

Ah… I really wanted to act like the mature one this time.

But with that one gentle reassurance—

Baek Eun-seol’s self-restraint shattered.

A mere kiss wasn’t enough.

She wanted to leave a mark.

A sign—something that would last—so that, even if just for a little while longer, Si-woo would be hers.

Crunch—!

She bit down.

Si-woo didn’t even make a sound.

The burning sensation of pain mixed with his warm breath.

Yet he only smiled and gently stroked Baek Eun-seol’s head.

As if comforting her, making sure she wouldn’t blame herself.

“Haa… Phew… Haha…!!”

It lasted for quite some time.

Even just a little longer.

Even just a little clearer.

Baek Eun-seol sank her teeth deeper into his neck.

Bite—!